Why Won’t God Give Mankind Proof of His Existence?

Why won’t God simply give mankind proof of His existence? Why not just show us that He exists, and remove the element of faith? After all, wouldn’t everyone believe in God if He just showed Himself? Why let people go to hell if they could be saved merely be showing Himself to be real?

That’s a great question, and a lot of people (including me) may have wondered this at some point.

Why Won’t God Give Us Proof He Exists?

While this question may seem deeply compelling on the surface, it quickly loses its credibility when closely examined using logic and reasoning. This question is rarely posed all by itself. Rather, it is usually presented with the presumption that if God did show Himself, people would be saved or everyone would believe. To make it simple, let’s break it down into two parts:

Why won’t God give us proof He exists?

Everyone would believe if God revealed Himself and avoid hell

Why God Won’t Reveal Himself?

When asking why God won’t reveal Himself, people forget that God has appeared many times and in many ways throughout history. In fact, the Bible alone is filled with testimonies and historical events of God interacting with mankind.

In the Old Testament, God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. God appeared to Abraham with angels. God appeared to Moses. God appeared as the Angel of the Lord (a pre-incarnate Christ). God appeared or spoke to all of the prophets as well.

God also appeared many times in the New Testament. The Bible tells us Jesus Christ was “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us.” Jesus appeared to as many as 500 people when He was resurrected. Jesus also performed many miracles to validate His authority. In fact, Jesus’ own enemies (the Pharisees) even acknowledged that He could perform miracles and cast out demons, but they explained it away by saying He was only able to do it through the power of Satan:

And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

Luke 11:15

God also appeared to John on the island of Patmos in a vision recorded in the Book of Revelation.

So the important thing to remember first and foremost when asking this question is that God has, in many ways and many times, revealed Himself to humanity.

God Continues to Reveal Himself Today

God continues to reveal Himself today in many ways. Christians who walk closely with the Lord can feel His presence in the form of the Holy Spirit. As a believer, I can personally attest to the fact that the Holy Spirit is working in my life. The Bible teaches that when you become born again, God will send His Holy Spirit to dwell in you. He will lead you to truth, convict you of sin, and more.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19

The Bible also instructs us that proof of God’s existence lies in nature itself. The most logical, rational, and reasonable explanation for such a sophisticated creation is an intelligent designer. Therefore, there is no excuse to reject God:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

Everyone Would Believe and Avoid Hell if Only God Would Show Himself

Another common misconception is that if God would reveal Himself, everyone would simply believe and avoid judgment from the Great White Throne. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true.

The Bible clearly shows us that even though Satan was a beautiful angel who knew God existed, he puffed himself up with pride and rebelled against God. As a result, he was cast out of heaven and took a third of the angels with him.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isaiah 14:12

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Revelation 12:4

Cain also knew God, yet He still killed Abel and was sent way by God. The Israelites saw incredible miracles performed by God as He delivered them from Egypt, yet they too rebelled against God.

Knowing God exists does not mean people will accept Him. This is true in the Bible, and there are countless examples in the world too. For example: People know jails exist, does that stop them from committing crimes? No. Children know their parents exist, does that stop them from being disobedient to parents? No.

People know cigarettes cause cancer. Does that stop everyone from smoking? Of course not. God also exists, and people will be disobedient to Him and reject Him whether or not they know He exists.

Believing In Jesus As Your Savior

The last point of confusion in this question is the word “belief.” The Bible says that anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:9

This does not mean mere intellectual belief. Someone could believe Jesus existed, and they can still be lost. Even Satan and his demons believe God exists, in fact, they know he does:

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

James 2:19

The word believe means to totally trust. It means not mere intellectual belief, but that you are going to trust in Jesus as your savior, and make him your “boss.” That’s what the word “Lord” means. It literally means “master” or “boss.”

Is Jesus Christ your boss? One day Jesus Christ has promised to return, and when He does, it will be unmistakable. Every knee is going to pound the Earth as every person bows, and every tongue will leap forth as all of humanity confesses that Jesus is Lord:

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:10-11

Everyone is going to see proof of God, but by then it may be too late. When you meet Jesus, is He going to be your savior or your judge? If you haven’t trusted Christ as your savior, please do so. God will forgive every sin you’ve ever committed if you turn from sin to faith in Christ. God will cleanse you in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus died on the cross so that you and I can be forgiven of our sins.